A trainees persepective... Story One
One Trainee Probation Officer (TPO), who has just completed his first year of training, has recently produced an account of his experiences to date on the programme. Having explained how, prior to applying for the role, he had already had some experience of the Service through work as a volunteer and then more lately as a Community Service Officer, he went on to say:
‘I write at a time of incredible pressure; an academic and practice deadline is approaching and I am also co-tutoring a Think First programme. On reflection, I definitely made the right career decision!
In theory, 50% of my time is spent on study, 50% on practice (ie in the office). This is not, however, as neat a distinction in practice. In my previous career, I liked to plan my time as much as I could but there have been times as a TPO when this has not been possible and I have had to learn to be more adaptable.
I have to admit that when I joined the Service I felt that, although I wouldn’t ‘know it all’, I would hit the ground running due to my previous experience. Although this has undoubtedly helped in many ways, it has not helped to the extent that I thought it would. This has been difficult to accept. There has been plenty to learn and I have noticed that some of my peers, with even less experience of the Service than myself, have been just as quick to pick up on the critical issues. In my previous roles, I simply ‘did’ and did not consider ‘why’. Being a TPO has meant a thorough re-examination of why I do what I do. This has necessitated me thinking about issues from a wider perspective than I have in the past.
Underpinning the practice work we carry out has been a curriculum of distance learning via the university. This has been hugely enjoyable although much more demanding than I had considered. At the end of the process, however, I feel that the course that I am currently engaged on will not only have taught me the core subject areas but also how to study at a distance. This is something that I do not believe a traditional university based degree would provide.
Being a TPO has also meant that I have had to honestly ‘get to know myself’ in a way that I have not before. In former roles I intuitively developed my own value base as I progressed. As a TPO, however, I have had to focus on my values, on how they are aligned with those of the NPS, and on the behaviours and circumstances of offenders. The capacity of offenders to change is a paramount concept, as is the importance of ensuring that they are held accountable and responsible for their actions. As a Trainee I have noticed the reluctance that some offenders do have for taking responsibility. Indeed their resistance has on occasions been quite striking.
The journey that I have made from a volunteer to a TPO therefore has been much longer than I expected. I am confident that the ‘pot of gold at the end of the rainbow’ will be worth it.’
Lifting my head from the grindstone for long enough to take stock, I realise just how much I have accomplished in the past year. I have completed nine 2000 word essays, bashing them out at a rate of about one every five or six weeks. Hopefully these attest my academic learning in diverse aspects of criminological theorising. I have written three progress reports, where I have attempted to reflect on my work experiences and consider how I can improve my practice. After six months in the job I put together a Foundation Practice Portfolio: a thumping great folder that contained evidence to show that I had been working with offenders and probably had been doing something right. Recently I have completed two level-4 National Vocational Qualification units. These demonstrate a high level of competency in practical aspects of the job. One followed my successful delivery of a 22-session cognitive-behavioural group programme to offenders. (Annoyingly, with NVQs doing the work is not enough: you have to put together folders to evidence your effective industry). The second reprised my skills in coping with aggression and violence: happily, this was based largely on simulated exercises and theory!
This mix of academic study with the development of practice skills is at the heart of the traineeship. The distance learning I undertake for the BA in Criminal Justice Studies provides theory and ideas to apply on the job. Colleagues, though busy, are friendly and keen to share experience. Crucially, I have an assigned Practice Development Assessor – an experienced officer who is manager, mentor, confidante and friend.
The labour intensifies. In the next year I have to produce three more 2000 word essays; two 4000 word essays; a presentation; a work-based project; three more progress reports; and, ten NVQ units.
Is there time for offenders? Well yes – there has to be. My case load is currently expanding beyond the seven I supervised during my first year. One quickly realises that, for many of our clients, change away from offending (desistence in the jargon) is a slow and punctuated process. My seven are illustrative. Andy is back inside. I twice successfully argued to senior managers that he should not be recalled to prison, but in the end he drove illegally once too often. I later discovered that he had been skilfully misleading me for most of his supervision. Bernard is dead. Aged 42, his years of chronic alcoholism and homelessness finally did for his liver. Charlie was for some time my star. His one-off serious offence appeared to be behind him. He was sorting his life. Then, unexpectedly, he committed a pointless theft from a shop. Back in court, his order was extended. Doug is worrying: 19 years-old, few basic skills, terrible childhood. He gets drunk and kicks off at whoever is around. He has been arrested for violence three times in as many months. Eddie is just 18 and, after a rotten childhood, appears to be sorting himself out. He is bright, thoughtful, and likeable. But his past reaction to stress has been to recklessly offend and right now he is trying to figure out how to attend college full-time and manage on £51 per week. Francis and George are drink-drivers. They seem to be complying with both their orders and their driving bans. But, of course, one lapse could be fatal...
Rehabilitation is complex and drawn out. The National Probation Service has borrowed a model of change from drug treatment that can be helpful. This views desistence from offending as being analogous to giving up a bad habit. As a worker, the best I can hope for my interventions is that they accelerate this process. Maybe I can build motivation or chivvy an offender towards making a positive decision to give change a chance. Hopefully sometimes I can give practical help: sort out a benefit claim or resolve an accommodation crisis. Frankly, at times, I wonder whether I do any good at all – although I have come to realise that (as in the priesthood) crises of belief are not merely an occupational hazard, they are in fact a necessity to doing the job properly. Questioning what we do and why, and speculating on what would happen if we did nothing at all, challenges us to evaluate both our effectiveness and the moral imperatives that underpin the work.
And there are the successes. Andy wrote to me, out of the blue, from prison asking for a meeting. Before he died, I helped secure Bernard a place in a fantastic hostel, and sustained his tenancy through a tricky start. Charlie appears back on the straight and narrow, and has accessed help from other agencies, more suitable than anything I can provide. Doug tells me he has not hit anyone for several weeks now and is genuinely addressing his use of alcohol. Eddie has stuck at college and is hoping to supplement his income with a part-time job. Francis and George are still not driving. Fingers crossed.
Meanwhile a newly qualified officer looking back on her two years as a Trainee made the following observations.
‘There is no getting away from the fact that prospective Trainee Probation Officers require commitment to succeed in the job. That is the hard and fast reality of the role from my experiences. However, what you will also discover is that the post is very rewarding and challenging where responsibility and learning are constantly on an upward curve on your chart of development.
The programme is interesting and well structured to accommodate a broad cross section of learning needs. I found a training environment that allowed me to build the confidence to engage with offenders and approach members of staff in my office as well as people in other agencies. The training taught me the necessity of using feedback constructively in order to rectify and avoid repeating the same mistakes, which will inevitably be made. This flexible approach allowed me to increase my knowledge and improve my practice.
Will Probation suit you? You need to think hard about this conundrum because having the stamina to meet the demands placed upon you during the two years training is a prerequisite. Being a Trainee Probation Officer requires hard work, self-discipline and a certain sense of humour to take things in your stride! At times you are required to work over and above your contracted hours, for example, assignment deadlines may require you to work in your evenings and weekends. You will need to be the type of person who is adept at organising your time to maintain an equilibrium between practice and academic studies.
I believe it is important to be honest with yourself in terms of your own learning needs. I have enjoyed the experience and learnt a lot about myself as a Trainee Probation Officer through ‘reflective practice’. I would recommend the job because it has enhanced many of my own personal skills and given me a broader outlook on life.’